The Moonlight Room

Anon kicked the dirt on his way home from work, walking of course. He may have had a drivers licence but he was far too poor the afford something like gas. Hell, he could barely afford the roof over his head. Work was grueling and difficult, he may as well be in slave labor. They payed him about the equivalent.

Life had not at all gone the way he intended. He fell short at every hurdle, despite having the cards in his favor. Two parents who loved him. A sister who supported him and was his best friend through hell or high water. A college paid for on the back of his parents earnings not once but thrice. And even after failing every time he was not expect to give a cent in return. One day he just up in left, planning to carve out a place for himself in the world. It didn't at all go as planned. Turned out being a writer actually required some skill, not just blind luck and some cursory research. Now he was stuck below the poverty line with literally no way out. Life was pure hell.

Anon looked up at the moon, shinning brightly down on him. Why had his life gotten this bad? This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to be like his sister. Funny, smart, athletic. Someone their family held up with pride. And even through all of her studies and obligations, she somehow still made time to help her dear older brother. The older brother who was the opposite of everything she ever was. But the would all change soon. Not because Anon had some crack pot plan up his sleeve, no. He had used and wasted every single plan he had. It was finally time for him to throw in the towel in a very serious way. He had a pistol underneath his bed with a single bullet in the chamber, waiting to be used just for such an occasion. He had a good run, but it was finally time to know when he'd been beat and boy had he.

Anon unlocked the door to his apartment, glancing at the moon one last time. It was beautiful. It was such a shame that in but a few moments he would never lay eyes on it ever again. In truth, he didn't want to die. There was so much he had yet to experience, so many things he had yet to see. He dreamed of traveling the world, of being able to meet people from which he had nothing in commonality. But some dreams are just not meant to be.

He sat on his bed, pulling the pistol out and studying it closely. The way it's silver body shined with the moonlight was almost beautiful. He traced it's edges and curves, admiring the craftsmanship. There was a certain stillness about the room, a crushing silence that pulled everything within it's borders. This truly was the end. He took one last breath, placed the gun against his temple and pulled the trigger. The pain lasted a mere moment before he was consumed by the cold embrace of death.

He opened his eyes again. Where was he? Had that all been a dream? Or was this the punishment dolled out to those who defied nature and took their lives prematurely? A voice called out to him.

"Anon E. Mouse."

It was regal and authoritative, almost like a mother scolding a child. Anon sat up, feeling his head to make sure everything was still in tact, thankfully it was. To his surprise though, that voice belonged, not to a woman, but a stunningly beautiful unicorn with wings. It's coat was a deep blue and the mane was almost ethereal glowing in the same way as did the night sky. In all his wildest dreams he never imaged God would take on the form of a horse.

"God?"

The being laughed.

"God? You give me far too much credit. I am a mere princess. This is my study you've happened upon, the Moonlight Room. Tell me, how is it that you, a human, wondered in? I was not aware that humans had the ability to transcend the dimensions and enter Closed Space."

"Closed Space? Different Dimensions? What in the world are you going on about? I'm dead! At least I should be... I shot myself in the head. I thought I was in heaven. Or perhaps this is hell."

The being laughed once again

"I assure you it is not either. This is Closed Space, a separate plane of existence and reality that isn't accessible to those without permission. Or, at least, that is what I believed until now. To think someone, much less a human, could enter this place by ending their own life. It's astounding really."

"What are you exactly?"

"I am an Alicorn, my name is Luna. Though that would be Princess Luna to you. I have dominion over the dream relm."

Anon's head was spinning. What the hell was this talking horse going on about?

"The dream relm? Alicorn? None of this makes any sense."

With a flash of light the room turned into the night sky and a long line of book shelves filled the space. Stars dotted the landscape and a gas structure similar to the Pillars of Creation could be seen in the distance, giving off an immense and beautiful reddish-green glow.

"Allow me to explain this more simply. I am an Alicorn or a pony who has ascended. I, through a special rite of passage, have gained the traits and abilites of the three main spieces: earth ponies, who tend to the earth with their strong hooves and earth magic planted deep within their bones, Pegasai, who manage the weather and walk amongst the clouds thanks to the magic that burrows deep within their wings the souls of their hooves and the unicorn who have a vast intellect and can manipulate the energy flowing around them to turn fantasy into reality."

Anon crossed his arms. As if this made any more sense than what she had said previously.

"So... Luna-"

"Princess." she corrected

"Princess Luna. I don't understand a lick of what you're saying. What is this place? Why can you talk? Why am I here after I ended my own life?"

"As I explained, this is Closed Space, a dimension I created. It's a place my consciousness goes when I am overwhelmed by the world around me. It is cut off from both time and space. One second in this room is equal to more than ten thousand years outside it. I can talk because I am an intelligent and evolved being. As for why you are here, that is a question I have not the answer too."

"Well I suppose it's better than the outside."

"Why say that? Life, dear Anon, is a wonderful thing."

"Look, I don't know what it's like wherever it is you come from, but my world is a terrible place where the weak get crushed under foot and those who don't make a good living wage are looked upon with disdain and disgust."

"Well since I haven't a way of returning home, would you care to humor an old pony who has been around for nearly a thousand years with her antics?"

"I don't see what I have too lose."

"Then lets begin."

Before Anon had even a moment more to react, he began to fall into the sparkling abyss below.